Chocolate Oreo Cake

Chocolate Oreo Cake

1 package dark chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines dark.)
1 sm. package instant chocolate pudding mix (cheap kind is ok)

4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix cake mix and dry pudding in a bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, water, and oil and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into Bundt or tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after 40. Don’t let it overcook. Use the toothpick test or when the sides pull away from the pan. A few crumbs on the toothpick are okay.

Cool completely—several hours is best. Then carefully cut the cake in two layers. I use a long knife that will go all the way through.

Frosting:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups thawed Cool Whip

12 Oreo (or Twist and Shout) Cookies, coarsely crushed

With mixer beat cream cheese and sugar together. Then fold Cool Whip into the cream cheese. Finally add the crushed cookies and stir in gently.

Frost the bottom layer with a small amount of frosting. Maybe a cup or so. Top with second layer. Then use the rest of the frosting to ice top, sides, and inner ring of cake.

I like to add a few remaining cookies on top for looks.

This is not a pretty cake, but it’s really moist, dense and delicious. I’ve also seen similar cakes decorated with cookie crumbs or drizzled with melted chocolate to make it prettier. If you think of another way, let me know!

One tip, lower fat products don’t seem to work as well

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Snow Ice Cream - back by popular demand!

Snow Ice Cream

(All ingredients are approximates)

1 lg. (3 quart bowl) of clean, dry snow

1 cup of sugar

2 ½ TBS. Cocoa

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

½ cup of Milnot or other evaporated milk – can also use cream, half and half, or plain old milk.

¼ cup of milk (approx.)

Mix cocoa and sugar together in a separate bowl, then sprinkle over the top of the snow and mix in lightly with a fork. Once the snow is chocolate colored, slowly add the vanilla and milks, mixing with fork after each addition. Continue until you reach a nice thick ice cream consistency. Put in freezer for a few minutes. Then eat and enjoy!

  Mine looks like this but I "borrowed" this photo.
 

Valentine Snack for Parties

I saw this basic idea on Pinterest and loved it. Today I made them for my daughter's class and the kids chose these over the cookies and candies!  They scarfed them down!

They are so  easy to make and not really any more expensive than cookie and cupcakes. I figured it up and these cost about $5.00 total to make.

To make 24:

24 grapes
12 fresh strawberries
6 string cheese
24 mini cupcake holders

Decap and slice strawberries in half. Make a small notch in the top to make it look like a heart. (so cute!)

cut each string cheese into 4 pieces.

Now put one of each item--a strawberry heart, a grape and a string cheese piece into the cupcake holders and you are done!

I had the mini cupcake holders on hand but you could buy the holiday specific kind if you prefer.
You can also use other fruit, berries, or types of cheese but the strawberry is really perfect for Valentine's Day.

Party snack

Anniversary!

Today's my anniversary--sort of. Thirteen years ago today on my mom's birthday I got the call from Allison Lyons at Silhouette Romance to buy my first book, FOR HER CHILD.  All these years later and nearly 45 books in  print, Allison is still my editor.  We've both grown, swtiched lines, and moved forward, but always together. We've shared many highs along the way with very few lows-- Award Ceremonies, Booksellers' Conventions, Conferences, and lots of yummy dinners and Starbucks drinks!

Thanks for everything, Allison, and happy anniversary!

This is us at the RITA Awards last summer.
(I look a little rough but my cute little editor is gorgeous!!)

NEW BOOK-Rancher's Refuge

RANCHER'S REFUGE

 

Released December 18, 2012, book one of the new Whisper Falls series from Love Inspired.

Available anywhere books are sold. The above link takes you to Amazon.com.

Cornbread dressing!

Thanksgiving dinner conjures up memories of heavenly smells,  family, laughter, and a belly so full we all have to watch a little football before we can play Scrabble or move outside to play cornhole. I LOVE Thanksgiving when all my enormous family crowds into my small house for a day. Pure heaven.

My favorite, favorite, favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving--and Lord knows I have many-is cornbread dressing with cranberry sauce, slathered in turkey gravy. Oh, yeah!! So, I'm always on the lookout for tasty new dressing recipes. Down here in Oklahoma, we call it dressing but if you call it stuffing, that's okay. It tastes great either way.

This is a new recipe I'm trying this year.  It comes from Paula Deen's website. Thanks, Miss Paula!
 

Bacon and Pecan Stuffing or Dressing

Save some of the bacon drippings to rub into the turkey skin for extra crispiness and flavor. (Linda's note: or be naughty like me and dump it in the dressing.)

Makes about 7 ½ cups, enough for a 12-pound turkey

4 cups (firmly packed) diced day-old firm home-style bread (crust and all)
4 cups day old skillet cornbread, crumbled
8 slices bacon, diced
1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup toasted and roughly broken pecans
½ cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons crumbled, dried sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons crumbled, dried thyme
About 1 to 1½ cups turkey broth, made from neck and giblets
Salt and whole black pepper in a peppermill
Whole nutmeg in a grater
2-3 tablespoons butter, cut into bits

Position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 225 degrees F. Spread the bread and cornbread on large, rimmed baking sheets and bake until almost dry. Meanwhile, sauté the bacon in large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat until browned. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings, add the onion and celery, and sauté, tossing, until golden but not browned, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Toss together the bread and pecans in large mixing bowl until mixed. Add the onion, celery, and herbs and moisten well with broth, but don’t make soggy. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, toss to mix, and if made ahead, cover and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes before proceeding.

If using this to stuff the turkey, put it in the skillet in which onions cooked (or use 2 if you don’t have one large enough). Turn on the heat to medium heat and heat thoroughly, tossing. Spoon it loosely into the turkey while hot. Truss it as usual and roast the bird at once. Do not stuff it ahead and let it sit or refrigerate it.

If baking it separately as dressing, position a rack in the center of oven and preheat it to 350° F. (I put it in the oven when the turkey comes out, so that it bakes while the bird rests.) Lightly butter a 9" by 13" baking pan or dish that will hold all the dressing in a single 1-inch-deep layer. Pour in the dressing and pat flat. Dot the top with butter and bake until the center is set and the top golden brown, about 45 minutes.

 

 

Hurricane Sandy Stories

While taking food to people stranded in one of high-rise buildings today, we met a lady on one of the top floors who stays there to take care of a 100 years old bedridden woman. She was so discouraged and scared they won't make it till power and heat is back and felt she was getting sick and getting fever. She was also so worried about the lady she was taking care of and was running out of supplies for her (diapers, paper towels, gloves, ensure drinks as she can't eat, etc), had her covered with 4 blankets and candles around to keep her warm.

After we gave her food and lots of big hugs, we comforted her, assured that she is not by herself, she is on our list and will be checked on every day till power is back on. I offered to pray for her, she was so happy! I prayed for peace, strength and healing over her. After we came back to our base center, thankfully we were able to find all the necessary supplies, even the last bottles of Ensure drink were waiting for us! We went back to deliver and she was like a new person, said her fever left right after we left (we checked, her forehead wasn't warm any more), she felt so much better, felt strength from God, so grateful to God for providing with all those necessities! She definitely didn't feel they won't make it any more! It was awesome!

Thank you to all the organizers working on this full time and all the people, places, organizations donating food, water, supplies and all the volunteers! You are saving lives!
Lilia, MSNY Volunteer

>>
On Saturday morning, I headed to 10th Street and D Avenue to serve with several MSNY fellow church members. Volunteers and hurricane victims lined the park, a now make-shift hurricane relief center. The multi-organizational effort gave water, food, and a hot meal to the victims. For 5 days prior this lower region of Manhattan had been in the dark, and some homes flooded by Sandy's disastrous influence.

While at the relief site, I found my way to the Mercy Chef kitchen, where for the next 4 hours, serving hundreds of victims their first hot meal in days. Volunteers sang God Bless America and I'm Proud to Be An American as they passed out hot meals, sounding a needed message of hope and healing.

One particular meal served stood out to me. A Volunteer ran in and said she needed 5 meals for a mother and her four children-- they hadn't eaten in some time and were hungry. My heart sunk, wondering how many others that we were serving had empty stomachs and truly hadn't had a hot meal in days. Seeing the church and the American people come together, rally around this tragedy, and extend their hand of help in a time of great need, is what the church is for and the American spirit is all about. I am proud to be an American and even prouder to be a part of church that loves and serves.

Sundy Goodnight, MSNYvolunteer

 

A few of the donations to MSNY